Neighbors,
We did it! On May 25th we completed our state budget. Though we won't return until February 11th, I look forward to working with our community year-round to make our state a better place to live. By working across the aisle, building positive relationship with our Republican and Democratic Senators, I proudly sent a number of pieces of legislation brought to me by a wide variety of folks, to the Governor's desk. We have a lot of work left to do, but we approved measures to make sure all Minnesotans have access to a great education, health care they can afford, and safe, vibrant communities.
Helping Families
After 33 years, we finally updated Minnesota's only program dedicated to serving low-income pregnant women and families with children. MFIP (Minnesota Family Investment Program) helps 91,000 families with children meet their basic need and find and keep a job every month. I depended on MFIP while I transitioned to work in 1996. When I realized that the monthly grants had not been increased since the time I had received assistance 23 years ago, I knew it was imperative that our legislature address it immediately. That's why I fought so hard to update this program, and I'm proud that we achieved a $100 per month increase. Read more from the Star Tribune here.
I also successfully passed a bill to improve assistance for children with disabilities through the TEFRA option and another to establish a program to support community solutions for healthy child development.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous WomenAs expected, my bipartisan bill creating a state task force to address the historic endemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Minnesota was passed and signed into law. Currently, there is no official state or national system in place to collect data on Native women in Minnesota who face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average. We're here at the Capitol to solve problems for all Minnesotans, no matter where they live. But we've historically failed our Native American women and girls. They aren't worrying about what to wear to prom or planning their future, they're working hard to stay alive. This task force will address the causes of that violence, so we can put the minds of survivors, victims, and all native community members at ease.
Public Safety
Also included in the Public Safety bill was my bill, known as the “buttocks bill,” which removes an exception to criminal sexual conduct in order to include non-consensual, intentional touching of another person’s clothed buttocks.
A third successful Public Safety bill removes the requirement that federally-recognized tribes in Minnesota must have consent from their local county sheriff in order for tribal police departments to enforce state law, which will help keep our communities safer.
Below is a brief overview of a few of the major budget areas we passed. If you want to read in further detail, full summaries of all the budget bills we passed are available here.
Health Care
The House DFL focused on several health care priorities this session. We worked hard to ensure Minnesotans can afford their health insurance, prescription drugs, get the care they need when they need it, and to protect health care access for over a million Minnesotans. As other states pass onerous restrictions on women’s health care, House DFLers resisted Republican attempts to interfere with these rights. Women’s health care decisions should stay between women and their doctors, not politicians and employers.
Our Health Budget was a bipartisan compromise, and we will not stop trying to pass legislation to bring down the cost of health care and make sure drugs like Insulin are available and affordable to those who need it.
I was proud to support Minnesota nurses in fighting for job safety and fair wages!
Environment
Our comprehensive plan to help stop the outbreak of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, is a huge achievement. The plan provides more funding for disease management and research to develop a better diagnostic test that can be used on live animals.
The budget contains innovative solutions to other long-term environmental issues, including managing aquatic invasive species and helping communities address emerald ash borer issues. It also bans flame retardant chemicals that increase health risks for children and firefighters and reduces the use of industrial toxins and other contaminants.
E-12 Education
The House DFL successfully worked to prevent Republican cuts to education, securing four times their proposed funding level, which would have set our schools further behind after accounting for inflation. Our budget makes investments in our teachers, students, Pre-K, and schools so we can prevent further cuts, layoffs, larger class sizes and higher property taxes.
I hope you have a wonderful summer, and continue to reach out to share your perspective with me!
Sincerely,
Mary KP |
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